The Agroforestry Show 2025 provided an excellent opportunity for Biomass Connect to share knowledge and engage with a wide range of stakeholders. On the 10th and 11th of September Rothamsted Research (collaborators within the Biomass Connect wider project) were kind enough to incorporate a Biomass Connect presence on their stand. This, the second Agroforestry show, was held at Woodoaks Farm, in Maple Cross, Hertfordshire, just West of London. The event attracted farmers, foresters, researchers and policymakers as well as people with a general interest in agroforestry. There were 4 main stages hosting talks and panel discussions as well as Farm walks, demonstrations, hands on workshops and tailored advice clinics. A link to the guide for the two days can be found here: Home | Agroforestry show
Some highlight talks that were attended included:
- Tree Selection for Agroforestry
- Finding Common Ground between Farming and Forestry
- Measuring the Carbon Impact of Agroforestry
- Lessons from traditional Agroforestry on the European Continent
- Opportunities for Farmer-led Research on Silvoarable Agroforestry
B. Flannery and W. Macalpine (Rothamsted Research) shared the word on Biomass Connect at the 2025 Agroforestry Show.
More about the Farm
Woodoaks is a farm with over 300 acres of arable and pastureland and 75 acres of woodland. The farm had been family owned since the 1920’s and in 2020, Sally Findlay gifted Woodoaks to the Soil Association to help protect the future of the farm.
Biomass highlight of the show
One of the farm walks, ‘Using Coppiced Willows in Productive Agroforestry Systems’, was led by key Biomass Connect supporters: Kevin Lindegaard (Willow Solutions), Jamie Rickerby (Willow Energy), and William Macalpine (Rothamsted Research). Rothamsted Research had planted a strip of Willow varieties at Woodoaks for short rotation coppicing (SRC). The aim of this trial is to demonstrate the potential of SRC willow along with providing the farm with a source of wood chip for use as a mulch for hedge row and tree establishment. The walks showcased early findings from this trial, highlighting establishment challenges under below-average rainfall and the potential role of SRC willow in productive agroforestry systems. The afternoon walk was very well attended with around 70 show attendees. The second day talk in the morning attracted around 25 people, good conversations and connections were made along with positive feedback throughout. Since planting in March, the site received 154.1 mm of rain—over 180 mm below average—offering a useful real-world test of crop resilience under dry conditions.
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- A good crowd on the first day of the show for the Farm Walk: Using Coppiced Willows in Productive Agroforestry Systems.
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- W. Macalpine, Lindegaard and J. Rickerby lead the discussions at the Farm Walk.
To learn more about willow as a biomass crop, visit our crop info page, or explore how it can also support pollution control through ongoing work at AFBI.
